Spectrum of MDCT findings in blunt chest trauma patients at a tertiary health care University Hospital: A single-centre experience

Purpose: Evaluate MDCT findings in patients with blunt chest trauma with a demographic evaluation of number and percentage of each pattern over 6 months at University Hospital. Patients and methods: This study involved 125 patients, including 90 males and 35 females with a mean age of 51.4 years. They were exposed to blunt chest trauma and were referred to the emergency radiology department. All patients were subjected to clinical examinations with medical history interview, plain chest X-ray, and MDCT of the chest with 3D reconstruction. Results: Road traffic accidents were the most common mechanism of trauma, accounting for 56.8% of the 125 cases. Chest pain was the most common clinical presentation, observed in 76%. Both sides of the body were affected in 41.6%; the right side was affected in 29.6%; and the left side was affected in 28.8%. Radiological findings among the patients in the order of frequency were pleural injuries in 72% of the patients, parenchymal lung injuries in 56.8%, chest wall injuries in 40.8%, mediastinal injuries in 11.2%, diaphragmatic injuries in 4.8% and tracheo-bronchial injuries in 1.6% of the patients. Conclusion: Chest trauma may cause significant morbidity, and MDCT could lead to critical changes in a patient's management.